Mr. Blackburn is a fourth generation coal miner. He has worked
in the US and International Coal Industry in five decades. He holds the
BS ENGINEER OF MINES Degree from the West Virginia School of Mines, the
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Degree from the COGS School of
Business at the University of West Virginia and the DOCTOR OF
JURISPRUDENCE Degree from Harvard University.

Mr. Blackburn spent the first half of his career in management
positions at the AT Massey Coal Company including developing the Elk
Run Coal Company and other properties in West Virginia. He held the
Senior Vice President Operations position at Mapco Coal and publicly
traded Zeigler Coal Holding Company until its sale in the fourth
quarter of 1998.

Mr. Blackburn consults with utilities, mining companies and
investment banks on strategic issues in the coal industry. His practice
also includes arbitration and litigation support for commercial and
health and safety issues in the coal industry. Mr. Blackburn has been selected as the Independent Expert in $30 billion of recent coal industry reorganizations.

His firm, BLACKACRELLC,
was founded in 1992. The office is in Richmond, VA and the email
address: blackacrellc@yahoo.com